White Sox Rally To Top Angels In 10

July 31, 2000|By Phil Rogers, Tribune Baseball Writer.

ANAHEIM — So this is what all the fuss is about.

In the span of perhaps 30 minutes Sunday night, the White Sox turned an almost-certain 6-4 defeat into an eventual 11-7 victory. They did it only after blowing a 7-6 lead of their own in the bottom of the ninth when left-fielder Carlos Lee almost made his second misplay of the game.

Garret Anderson's scorched liner to Lee off Keith Foulke tied the score 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth. It almost did more than that as Lee first broke in on the ball, then froze and finally stuck his glove up to make the catch. Troy Glaus then hit a liner to third baseman Herbert Perry to end the inning.

The White Sox were taking no chances against old teammate Al Levine in the 10th. They scored four runs on four hits and an error. Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez started the rally with singles. Jeff Abbott and Lee cashed in with back-to-back two-run singles.

Foulke (2-0) picked up the victory as the Sox somehow escaped with a split in the four-game series. They extended their lead in the American League Central to 10 1/2 games over the Cleveland Indians. After a day off Monday, they resume the trip in Texas.

It was an adventurous night for Lee. He allowed a Darin Erstad pop to slip out of his glove in the seventh inning, handing Anaheim two unearned runs that pushed the Angels' lead to 6-2.

General Manager Ron Schueler has only a few hours left to provide a sure-handed replacement for Lee, if only for late-inning defense. You can bet it was on his mind on the charter flight.

Anaheim needed only one more out from closer Troy Percival for a third straight win. But Johnson, batting only because the Sox were left with a 24-man roster, delivered a game-tying double. Durham followed with another one.

Jose Valentin's first-inning homer set a promising tone, but the White Sox failed to hold an early lead for the third game in a row.